Modeling Interactions in a P2P Network

Assessing the performance of peer-to-peer algorithms such as topology construction protocols, distributed trust or search algorithms is impossible without simulations since testing new algorithms by deploying them in an existing P2P network is prohibitively expensive. However, some P2P algorithms are sensitive to the network and traffic models that are used in the simulations. In order to produce realistic results, we therefore require models that resemble real-world P2P networks as closely as possible. In this paper, we describe a model for P2P file-sharing networks, link it to measurements on existing P2P networks and discuss open issues in modeling these networks.